Clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of opportunistic infections in advanced HIV disease patients among men who have sex with men in Vietnam: A prospective cross-sectional study.

Background: Opportunistic infections (OIs) in patients with advanced HIV disease remain a serious health issue, particularly in low-and middle-income countries.

Objectives: This study aims to describe the clinical characteristics and factors associated with mortality among hospitalized advanced HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM).

Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City between March and June 2023.

Human immune system: Exploring diversity across individuals and populations.

The immune response is an intricate system that involves the complex connection of cellular and molecular components, each with distinct functional specialisations. It has a distinct capacity to adjust and mould the immune response in accordance with specific stimuli, influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. The presence of genetic diversity, particularly across different ethnic and racial groups, significantly contributes to the impact of incidence of diseases, disease susceptibility, autoimmune disorders, and cancer risks in specific regions and certain populations.

Prognostic values of serum lactate-to-bicarbonate ratio and lactate for predicting 28-day in-hospital mortality in children with dengue shock syndrome.

This study aimed to assess the clinical utility of blood lactate-to-bicarbonate (L/B) ratio, as a prognostic factor for 28-day in-hospital mortality in children with dengue shock syndrome (DSS), admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). This single-center retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary children hospital in southern Vietnam from 2013 to mid-2022. Prognostic models for DSS mortality were developed, using a predefined set of covariates in the first 24 hours of PICU admission.

Serial measurements of SIRS and SEP scores to identify unique phenotypes of sepsis.

Using scoring systems in discreet microbiologic cohorts in a serial fashion to identify unique phenotypes of sepsis remains unknown. Single-center, retrospective study that screened adults who triggered the hospital's SIRS (systemic inflammatory response syndrome) based sepsis alert into culture positive (Cx +) and culture negative (Cx-) groups. Subgroups were based on the location where the SIRS alert fired.

Inflammatory mediators drive neuroinflammation in autism spectrum disorder and cerebral palsy.

Inflammation conditions are associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and cerebral palsy (CP), primarily observed in the peripheral immune system. However, the extent of neuro-inflammation and neuro-immune dysregulation remains poorly studied. In this study, we analyzed the composition of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to uncover the inflammatory mediators driving the neuro-immune system in ASD and CP patients.

Associations of obesity and dengue-associated mortality, acute liver failure and mechanical ventilation in children with dengue shock syndrome.

Dengue-associated complications, including dengue shock syndrome, severe respiratory distress, and pediatric acute liver failure (PALF), are associated with high mortality rates in patients with dengue. There is increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity among children worldwide. Obesity may activate inflammatory mediators, leading to increased capillary permeability and plasma leakage in patients with dengue.

Preliminary Consequences of Blood Pressure Management and Blood Homocysteine Levels with Perindopril in Newly Diagnosed Hypertensive Patients in the Vietnamese Population.

Background: Perindopril is an ACE inhibitor that aids in both blood pressure regulation and homocysteine reduction.

Objectives: Our study aimed to evaluate the results of controlling blood pressure and blood homocysteine levels by perindopril in patients with primary hypertension.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study with a longitudinal follow-up was conducted on 105 primary hypertensive patients treated with perindopril.

Assessment of rice yield and economic losses caused by ground-level O exposure in the Mekong delta region, Vietnam.

The Lower Mekong Delta region (LMD) accounts for 90% of Vietnam's rice exports; however, the air quality in the LMD is remarkably reduced by ground-level ozone (O) pollution. This study aimed to quantify the relative yield and economic value losses in rice-growing crop seasons affected by ground-level O concentrations across the LMD. The results of this study can serve as a basis for extensive assessments for the following years and support environmental managers to propose control measures of O precursor emissions (NO and VOCs) from man-made sectors, as well as build protective solutions for rice farming in LMD.

Host-pathogen relationship in retreated tuberculosis with major rifampicin resistance-conferring mutations.

Introduction: It is assumed that host defense systems eliminating the pathogen and regulating tissue damage make a strong impact on the outcome of tuberculosis (TB) disease and that these processes are affected by rifampicin (RIF) resistance-conferring mutations of (Mtb). However, the host responses to the pathogen harboring different mutations have not been studied comprehensively in clinical settings. We analyzed clinico-epidemiological factors and blood transcriptomic signatures associated with major mutations conferring RIF resistance in a cohort study.

Benefits of Short-term Premature Mortality Reduction Attributed to PM Pollution: A Case Study in Long an Province, Vietnam.

PM pollution exposure is the leading cause of disease burden globally, especially in low- and middle-income countries, including Vietnam. Therefore, economic damage in this context must be quantified. Long An province in the Southern Key Economic (SKE) region was selected as a research area.

Chronic and acute health effects of PM exposure and the basis of pollution control targets.

Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is changing and expanding quickly, leading to environmental consequences that seriously threaten human health. PM pollution is one of the main causes of premature death. In this context, studies have evaluated strategies to control and reduce air pollution; such pollution-control measures need to be economically justified.

Building and optimising an automatic monitoring system network for outdoor PM: a case study of Ho Chi Minh City.

PM exposure data are important for air quality management. Optimal planning and determination of locations where PM is continuously monitored are important for urban areas in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), a megacity with specific environmental problems. Objectives of the study to propose an automatic monitoring system network (AMSN) to measure outdoor PM concentrations in HCMC using low-cost sensors.

Multivalvular involvement associated with Libman-Sacks endocarditis detected by multimodality imaging: A case report.

Libman-Sacks endocarditis accounts for 6-11 percent of systemic lupus erythematosus patients and is associated with varying degrees of valvular dysfunction, increased risk for stroke and transient ischemic attacks, and increased mortality. In previous studies, left-sided valvular Libman-Sacks vegetations were more frequently detected than right sided vegetations; reported cases of bilateral involvement is very rare. A comprehensive clinical assessment and the multimodality imaging is of utmost importance in the management of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Effectiveness of Spironolactone in Terms of Galectin-3 Levels in Patients with Heart Failure with a Reduced Ejection Fraction in the Vietnamese Population.

Background: Galectin-3 is a biomarker that has been demonstrated to play a significant role in myocardial fibrosis and remodeling in the pathogenesis of heart failure. Furthermore, spironolactone has the ability to control galectin-3 levels in heart failure patients. Objectives: The aim of our study was to determine the factors associated with the increase in galectin-3 and the alteration of galectin-3 concentration in patients with heart failure with a reduced ejection fraction after 12 weeks of treatment with spironolactone.

Hyperhomocysteinemia in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Primary Hypertension in Can Tho City, Vietnam.

Background: Elevated levels of blood total homocysteine is one of the cardiovascular risk factors in hypertensive patients. Objectives: Determine the prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia and its associated factors in newly diagnosed primary hypertension patients. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study on 105 patients with newly diagnosed primary hypertension at Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital from May 2017 to May 2018.

Photoelectrochemical water oxidation over TiO nanotubes modified with MoS and g-CN.

TiO nanotube arrays (TNAs) have been studied for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. However, there are two major barriers of TNAs, including a low photo-response and the fast charge carrier recombination in TNAs, leading to poor photocatalytic efficiency. Through a comparison of MoS/TNAs and g-CN/TNAs, it was found that TNAs modified with MoS and g-CN exhibited a current density of, respectively, 210.

Ground-level ozone in the Mekong Delta region: precursors, meteorological factors, and regional transport.

The Mekong Delta region (MDR), also known as Vietnam's rice bowl, produced a bountiful harvest of about 23.8 million tons in 2020, accounting for 55.7% of the country's total production, providing food security for 20% of the world population.

Automatic Acne Object Detection and Acne Severity Grading Using Smartphone Images and Artificial Intelligence.

Skin image analysis using artificial intelligence (AI) has recently attracted significant research interest, particularly for analyzing skin images captured by mobile devices. Acne is one of the most common skin conditions with profound effects in severe cases. In this study, we developed an AI system called AcneDet for automatic acne object detection and acne severity grading using facial images captured by smartphones.

Dynamics of Amyloid Formation from Simplified Representation to Atomistic Simulations.

Amyloid fibril formation is an intrinsic property of short peptides, non-disease proteins, and proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Aggregates of the Aβ and tau proteins, the α-synuclein protein, and the prion protein are observed in the brain of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and prion disease patients, respectively. Due to the transient short-range and long-range interactions of all species and their high aggregation propensities, the conformational ensemble of these devastating proteins, the exception being for the monomeric prion protein, remains elusive by standard structural biology methods in bulk solution and in lipid membranes.

Methane emission quantification from municipal waste landfills: models and computer software-a case study of Long An Province, Vietnam.

Vietnam has been one of the nations strongly affected by climate change; hence, finding and promoting solutions in order to adapt and proactively respond to climate change have played an extremely significant role. A strategy of developing a low-carbon economy with eco-friendly production and consumption models, limiting the use of fossil fuels, and rising clean as well as renewable energy have been built with the aim to reduce total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by roughly 8% by the year 2030 compared to the business-as-usual (BAU) scenario under the Paris Agreement 2015, in particular, focusing on producing a plan to drop considerably methane (CH) emission and recover energy from landfill sites as the waste sector has been the third-highest GHG contributor in Vietnam. This study concentrates on forecasting and evaluating CH, CO, HS, and CHSH emissions for a case study in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam: in specific, two dumping sites of Thanh Hoa and Kien Tuong according to four different scenarios so that the landfill gas (LFG) emissions are controlled under the local authority orientation of installing a gas collection system and treating captured gases by an LFG flaring approach from 2021 to 2030.

Phenotypic and genotypic features of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis lineage 1 subgroup in central Vietnam.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) has different features depending on different geographic areas. We collected Mtb strains from patients with smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis in Da Nang, central Vietnam. Using a whole genome sequencing platform, including genome assembly complemented by long-read-sequencing data, genomic characteristics were studied.

Model for assessing health damage from air pollution in quarrying area - Case study at Tan Uyen quarry, Ho Chi Minh megapolis, Vietnam.

Vietnam has a great demand for stone exploitation for the development of the country's infrastructure, reaching 181 million m in 2020. Mining activities are always accompanied by environmental pollution, negatively affecting public health. To accurately assess the level of pollution, as well as quantify the effect of air pollution on human health, a number of structures, methods, and models provide tools to assess the benefits of this control for public health and related economic values.